1 Peter 2:13-14
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the King, as Supreme. Or to governors, as to them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well.
It is one of the falsest, and yet one of the commonest prejudices that the world has always entertained against true Religion, that it is an enemy to civil power, and government. The adversaries of the Jews charged this fault upon their City, the then Seat of the true worship of God (Ezra 4:15). The Jews charged it upon the preachers of Christian Religion (Acts 17:7). As they pretended the same quarrel against Christ himself. And generally the enemies of the Christians in the primitive times loaded them with the slander of Rebellion, and contempt of authority. Therefore our Apostle descending to particular rules of Christian life, by which it may be blameless, and to silence calumny, begins with this, not only as a thing of prime importance in itself, but as particularly fit for those he wrote to, being both Jews, and Christians, for the clearing of themselves and their Religion, Submit yourselves, etc.
There are in the words divers particulars to be considered, all concurring to press this main duty of obedience to Magistrates, not only as well consistent with true Religion, but as indeed inseparable from it. Not to parcel out the words into many pieces, they may (I conceive,) be all not unfitly comprised under these two: 1. The extent of this duty. 2. The ground of it.
First, the extent: 1. To all civil power, of whatever kind, for the time received, and authorized. There being no need of questioning, what was the rise and original of civil power either in the nature of it, or in the persons of those that are in possession of it, for if you will trace them quite through in the succession of ages, and narrowly eye their whole circle, there be few crowns in the world in which there will not be found some crack or other more or less. If you look on those great Monarchies in Daniel's Vision, you see one of them built up upon the ruins of another, and all of them represented by terrible devouring beasts of monstrous shape. And whether the Roman Empire be the fourth there, as many take it, or no, yet in the things spoken of that fourth and the rest, it is inferior to none of them, enlarging itself by conquests in all parts of the world. And under it, were the Provinces to which this Epistle is addressed; yet the Apostle enjoins his brethren subjection and obedience to its Authority.
Nor is it a question so to be moved as to suspend, or at all abate our obedience to that which possesses in present where we live; what form of government is most just and commodious?
God has indeed been more express in the officers and government of his own house, his Church: but civil societies he has left at liberty, in the choosing and modeling of civil government, though always indeed overruling their choice, and changes in that, by the secret hand of his wise and powerful providence. Yet he has set them no particular rule touching the frame of it, only the common rule of equity and justice were to be regarded, both in the contriving and managing of government. And yet though it be some way defective in both, they that be subject to it are in all things lawful to submit to its authority, whether supreme or subordinate as we have it here expressly, whether to the King as Supreme, namely to the Emperor, or to the governors sent by him. Which though a judicious interpreter refers to God, and will not admit of any other sense, yet it seems most suitable both to the words, and to the nature of the government of those Provinces to take that word 'to him' as relating to the King. For 'them that are sent' answers to the other, 'the King as Supreme,' and so is a very clear designation of the inferior governors of those times, and places. And whatever was their end that sent them, and their carriage that were sent, that which the Apostle adds, expresses the end for which they should be sent to govern, and at which they should aim in governing, as the true end of all government. And though they were not fully true to that end in their deportment, but possibly did many things unjustly, yet as God has ordained authority for this end, there is always so much justice in the most depraved government, as is a public good, and therefore puts upon inferiors an obligation to obedience. And this leads us to consider the second thing: the ground of this duty.
2. The main ground of submitting to human authority, is the interest that divine authority has in it, having both appointed civil government as a common good among men, and particularly commanded his people obedience to it, as a particular good to them, and a thing very suitable with their profession — it is, for the Lord's sake. This word carries the whole weight of the duty, and is a counterbalance to the former, which seems to be therefore on purpose so expressed, that this may answer it. Although civil authority in regard of particular forms of government, and the choice of particular persons to govern, is but a human ordinance or man's creature, as the word is; yet both the good of government, and the duty of subjection to it, is God's ordinance, and therefore for his sake submit yourselves.
1. God has in general instituted civil government for the good of human society, and still there is good in it, tyranny is better than anarchy. 2. It is by his providence that men are advanced to places of authority (Psalm 75:6-7; Daniel 4:25; John 19:11). Third, it is his command that obedience be yielded to them (Romans 13:1; Titus 3:1), etc. And the consideration of this ties a Christian to all loyalty and due obedience, which being still for the Lord's sake cannot hold in anything that's against the Lord's own command. For then Kings and Rulers leave their station. Now the subjection here is, be subject to them, as it were in your rank, still in subordination to God, but if they go out of that even line follow them not. They that obey the unlawful commands of Kings do it in regard to their God no question, but that their God, is their belly or their ambition, or their avarice.
But not only ought the exercise of authority, and submission to it be in things just, and lawful in themselves, but the very purpose of the heart, both in command and obedience should be in the Lord and for his sake, this is the only straight, and only safe rule both for rulers, and for people to walk by. Would kings and the other powers of the world consider the supremacy and greatness of that King of whom they hold all their crowns and dignities, they would be no less careful of their submission and homage to him, than they are desirous of their people's submission to them.
I will not speak at all of their civil obligations to their people, and the covenant of justice that with good reason, is between them in the fundamental constitutions of all well ordered kingdoms, nor meddle with that point of the dependance that human authority has upon the societies of men over whom it is, according to which it is here called man's ordinance or creature. This is a thing that the greatest and most absolute of princes cannot deny, that all their authority is dependent upon the great God, both as the author of it in the general, and the sovereign disposer of it to particular men, giving the kingdoms of the earth to whom he will, and therefore he may most justly require obedience and fealty of them, that they serve the Lord in fear, and if they rejoice in their dignities over men, yet do it with trembling in sense of their duty to God, and that they throw down their crowns at the feet of Christ the Lord's anointed.
And to this they are the more obliged, considering that religion and the gospel of Christ does so much press the duty of their people's obedience to them, so that they wrong both it, and themselves very far in mistaking it, as an enemy to their authority when it does not only, not prejudge it, but confirms it, and pleads for it. Sure they do most ungratefully requite the Lord and his Christ, when they say (as Psalm 2) let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us. Whereas the Lord binds the cords of kings and their authority fast upon their people, not the cords of tyranny indeed, to bind the subjects as beasts to be sacrifices to the passion of their rulers, but the cords of just and due obedience to their kings and governors. The Lord does (as you see here) bind it upon all that profess his name, and strengthens it by the respect his people carry to himself, enjoining them, that for his sake they would obey their rulers; so that kings need not fear true religion, that it will ever favor any thing that can be called rebellion, but on the contrary still urges loyalty, and obedience, so that as they ought in duty, they may in true policy and wisdom befriend true religion, as a special friend to their authority, and hate that religion of Rome which is indeed rebellion, and that mother of abominations that makes the kings of the earth drunk with her cup, and makes them dream of increase of authority while they are truly on the losing hand. But besides that they owe their power to the advancement of Christ's kingdom so employing themselves, by strengthening it, and doing themselves good, they confirm their own thrones, when they erect his, as it was said of Caesar that by setting up Pompey's statue he settled and fastened his own.
But it is an evil too natural to men to forget the true end, and use of any good the Lord confers on them. And thus kings and rulers consider not readily, for what they are exalted, think it is for themselves, to honor and please themselves, and not to honor God and benefit their people, to encourage and reward the good (as here it is) and punish the wicked, they are set on high, for the good of those that are below them, that they may be refreshed with their light and influence, as the lights of heaven are set there in the highest parts of the world for the use and benefit of the very lowest. God set them in the firmament of heaven, but to what end is added, to give light upon the earth, and the mountains are raised above the rest of the earth, (not to be places of prey and robbery, as sometimes they are turned to be) but to send forth streams from their springs into the valleys, and make them fertile, the mountains and hills, greater and lesser rulers, higher and lower are to send forth to the people the streams of righteousness and peace (Psalm 72:3).
But it is the corruption and misery of man's nature that he does not know and can hardly be persuaded to learn, either how to command aright, or how to obey; and no doubt many of those that can see and blame the injustice of others in authority, would be more guilty that way themselves if they had the same power.
It is the pride and self-love of our nature that begets disobedience in inferiors, and violence and injustice in superiors. That depraved humor that ties to every kind of government a propensity to a particular disease, that makes royalty easily degenerate into tyranny, and nobles' government into faction, and popular into confusion.
As civil authority and subjection to it, is the institution of God; so the peaceable correspondence of those two, just government and due obedience is the special gift of God's own hand, and a prime blessing to states and kingdoms, and the troubling and interruption of their course is one of the highest public judgments by which the Lord punishes oftentimes the other sins both of rulers and people. And whatever be the cause and on which side soever be the justice of the cause, it cannot be looked upon, but as a heavy plague and the fruit of many and great provocations, when kings and their people that should be a mutual blessing and honor each to other are turned into scourges one to another, or into a devouring fire, as it is in his parable (Judges 9:20), fire going forth from Abimelech, to devour the men of Sechem and fire from Sechem to devour Abimelech.
